Feels Like Home
by IceyK
Summary: The only home Balto truly knew was the trawler on the outskirts of Nome. Even after his heroic journey to save the sick children from their death, he still feels like an outcast. It takes Boris, the townspeople, a party, and his newfound love, Jenna, to give him a new perspective on life and a taste of what he always wanted: a real home.
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: I own this story. All characters and certain elements in this story are the property of their respective owners.**

Feels Like Home

* * *

Chapter 1

Balto sat on the front of his boat, looking at the small town of Nome, Alaska. His mind was racing from the events of the last few days. From going out and finding the rescue team, to returning the serum, and to earning Jenna's affection at last, he had a lot to think about. He sighed, wishing he could go back to town and visit Jenna and Rosy. He missed the feeling of Jenna's soft and silky fur, and the way she made him feel weak at the knees when they nuzzled. However, even though the townspeople and Steele's sled team praised him for his heroic deed, some still didn't trust him. He felt awkward being in town in broad daylight now. He was acknowledged by just about everyone, but the reactions from some of the dogs, and even humans, was clear: Balto was still the same wolfdog they had always known. And it made him angry inside. He risked his life to bring back the anti-toxin for the sick children. Rosy was the main reason he did it, but shouldn't they at least recognize him for bringing the medicine back in the first place?

He was so deep in his thoughts that he didn't notice someone approach him on the boat. "What are you doing here, boychik?! Why aren't you celebrating with the others in town?"

Balto turned to see Boris waddling toward him. He turned back and shrugged. "I don't feel like it. There are still people who don't trust me, and Steele probably wants me dead."

Boris opened his mouth to speak, but Balto cut him off.

"And yes, I know that some of the humans and dogs accept me, but you do remember how some of them talked about me when I was at the hospital yesterday..."

Balto stood and walked over to his room and pulled his blanket over himself. Boris followed and laid a wing on Balto's head, and slowly began to stroke his thick, scruffy fur. He paused for a few seconds to try to think of something to say, and a slight smile graced his beak. He plopped down next to Balto and threw a wing over his back.

"Balto... I know you still fear how people will be treating you. But you have done great thing by getting the serum to those children. By doing that, you altered how people think of you. Not everyone will accept this at first, but they will come around eventually. You are no longer scroungy wolfdog you used to be. You are different now."

Balto looked up at Boris and a confused look came over his muzzle. "A good different, Balto!" Boris cemented his last statement by adding this, and Balto found a big smile overtake him.

"Thanks, Boris. I appreciate it more than you'll ever know."

He stretched out his paw and pulled Boris into a gentle embrace. Boris closed his eyes and sighed. Ever since he had found Balto as a pup half dead on one of the coldest nights since he left Russia, he understood why the dogs and people treated him the way they did. He _was_ different. Truthfully, Balto deserved to be accepted by the people and dogs in town. That was all he ever wanted. "_Well, that... and Jenna..."_ Boris thought to himself. A small chuckle escaped him as he realized that every dream that he had for Balto was beginning to come true. He gave Balto a quick pat and used his wings to push back.

"Now, I believe we have party to be at! Get up and let's go!" Balto chuckled and stood up. He stretched out and yawned deeply.

"Ok Boris. But I'm not staying long. I'm exhausted, and I need to try to sleep at some point." Balto was amazed that he hadn't dropped like a rock from exhaustion yet. He truly was tired after running several hundred miles just over three days ago.

Boris nodded in agreement, and the two walked down the plank of the ship and made their way towards town.

* * *

As soon as he was sighted on the outskirts, the people of Nome gathered to greet their hero once again. Balto felt just like he did two days ago when he made his grand entrance to town with the diphtheria serum. Except this time, he wasn't pulling a sled with an injured musher and serum. He was simply just walking side by side with Boris.

As he reached the first of the people, he remembered what Boris had said back on the boat. "_You are no longer scroungy wolfdog you used to be. You are different now."_

As he made his way through the crowd of people, he licked their hands, nuzzled the children, and wagged his bushy tail excitedly. "_At least some people like me now_," he thought. "_Can't complain about that!_"

"Hi Balto!"

"Welcome back, Balto!"

"You are our savior, Balto!"

These were just a few of the many things people said to him. He couldn't help but be filled with a warm feeling. Boris was right. He WAS different now. It was a good different, just like he said. His thoughts were interrupted by a woman and her husband as they knelt down in front of him. His natural reaction in this type of situation was to duck and find an escape route, but he was pleasantly surprised to feel them gently scratch his head and behind his ears. The man took a quick breath to say, "Our son is alive because of you, Balto. I'm sorry for the way I've thought of you all this time... I was wrong about you. Next time I see you around, I owe you a nice juicy steak! It's the least I can do!"

Balto pushed his muzzle into their hands and nuzzled them both. The couple looked at each other, interpreting that this was his way of saying 'You're welcome.' They pet him for a few more minutes before they stood back up and walked hand in hand towards the hospital. Balto received the same treatment from a lot of other people, some even giving him a strip of jerky in addition to the petting. He just took it all in. Normally, he was used to people yelling at him to go away, or throwing things at him because they didn't want him around. But this was new to him. He was not used to the feeling of being loved.

"Boris, you were right," he said. "They are starting to like me!"

Boris smiled proudly at Balto. Just out of his earshot, Boris said, "They have always accepted you, boychik... it just took terrible event to make them realize that they did."

After the two managed to get through the welcoming party, they navigated the maze of alleys between buildings until they made it to the boiler room, where the noise and excitement could clearly be heard from inside. As soon as Balto pushed the door open, it became dead silent, and all eyes in the room were on him. Balto's ears shot down and he winced. All of a sudden, they all excitedly began to jump up and down and bark, and the party was underway once more. Boris pushed a nervous Balto in, and then wandered off to the snacks to find himself something to eat. With Balto on his own now, he strolled around the room, conversing with several dogs who constantly showered him with thanks for rescuing the sled team and getting the serum to the kids.

He was amazed at how he was being treated. All of these dogs would usually stare him down and yell insults at him whenever he was on a food run in town. He felt like a completely different dog in front of them now. He was frequently questioned about his motives for going after Steele and the serum. His response to everyone was quite simple – "I just wanted to make sure those kids got the medicine. I don't think I could live with myself if I did nothing when I was capable of doing something." Balto made his rounds through the room until he finally made it to the food table. It was covered in various assortments of meats and dog treats. As he was about to turn and grab some from a bowl, a Saint Bernard approached him.

"Balto, I know you have heard this a thousand times, but thank you again for what you have done. My human was the musher who was with the dogs, and I am glad that you saved him!" Balto smiled. "You're welcome. How is your human doing?"

The Saint Bernard sighed. "He's doing well. His head is hurting him a lot, but the doctor said it should be fully healed within the next month or so. It could have been worse, though. He's alive, thanks to you."

Balto learned from the Saint Bernard that after he had returned with the diphtheria antitoxin, Steele's reputation was completely destroyed. He was still around Nome, but did not want to show his face in public, for he feared humiliation and retaliation from the other dogs. Balto was quite relieved, but he knew sooner or later he would have to face Steele again. And this time, if he failed, Steele would kill him. He was sure of it. "_There is no way he will let this go without a fight,_" Balto thought. Pushing the negative thought out of his mind, he grabbed his jerky and made his way to the door. He caught sight of Boris on the way out. Boris yelled out, but he couldn't hear it. He made out the words "_I'll see you tomorrow!_" Balto nodded back to show he understood. The cold winter air greeted him as he left the room. He shut the door, and turned to make his way back to the boat for some much-needed sleep.

But right as he got to a crossroad between several buildings, a shadow overtook him. He looked up to see Jenna sitting there; almost as if she was expecting him.

"Hello, Balto" she said.

Balto smiled widely and walked up to her. He nuzzled her neck and inhaled her scent. He felt her lean into him and nuzzle in return. "_If this is a dream... please don't wake me up..._" Balto thought.

"Hi Jenna. I missed you."

He felt Jenna smile. "I missed you, too."

Balto could barely control the joy he was feeling. For the longest time, he and Jenna were just 'friends'. And now, here she was, fervently nuzzling him. Ever since he had met her, this was what Balto always dreamed he could do with her. For the second time that night, Balto realized Boris was again correct; he was a different wolfdog now. He didn't like thinking of himself as a wolfdog though, despite coming to terms with his heritage. He tossed the thought from his mind and resumed basking in the presence of the husky who stood before him. After a few minutes of silent affection between the two, they separated and began to walk together.

"So, I take it you went to the party?" Jenna asked, turning her head in Balto's direction.

Balto simply replied, "Yes. Boris made me go. I didn't want to at first, but he talked me into it."

He turned and met Jenna's eyes. They both smiled. Balto then asked her the same question. "Did you go to the party?"

She turned to face forward again and her smile disappeared. "No. I never go to those parties. All of them in the past have been about Steele. And you of all people know how Steele is." Her sudden change of tone and body language was unusual, and it caught Balto's eye. She was visibly boiling with anger now, and she was on the verge of losing it.

Balto frowned and moved himself up against Jenna as they walked, silently comforting her. She acknowledged it by leaning into him. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you upset." Jenna nuzzled him under his chin and replied, "Don't be. For once, I'm glad that there was a party for someone other than Steele. I'm sorry I got mad."

Balto knew that he could not console her any further with words at this point. He moved his chin in towards his chest to gently hold Jenna's head there. They walked for a short while longer until they reached the main road leading to the outskirts where Balto's home was. The two stopped. Balto spoke first.

"Thanks for the walk, Jenna. I enjoyed being with you again."

Jenna smiled and wrapped her front leg around Balto, giving him a half hug. Balto sighed contently, and gently nuzzled her.

"I enjoyed being with you to, Balto. I can finally say that out loud!" she said excitedly.

Balto laughed at his love's words and gave her one last nuzzle before turning to head out to the boat. Jenna watched him as he walked away, feeling sick inside. "_Why do I feel like this?" _Jenna thought to herself. "_He goes out there every night, and...and... he shouldn't have to sleep out there all alone tonight..."_

"Balto! Wait!"

He stopped and turned around to see Jenna running toward him. Once she was in front of him, she looked down and nervously shuffled her front paws, saying, "Why don't you come and stay the night with me and my girl? After everything you've been through, you deserve to sleep somewhere warm and comfortable. The hospital isn't exactly the most comfortable place... however, Rosy will absolutely love waking up and seeing you there!"

Balto was overjoyed to hear this. But he was also afraid at the same time.

"Are you sure, Jenna? I've never exactly slept in- uh... in a place with humans before..."

At that moment, Jenna felt very bad for him. Balto had lived on a battered old boat since she could remember and had never known what it was like to feel loved and cared for. He spent most of his life living outside, doing everything he could to be accepted by people, while trying to survive on scraps in the alleys, and on the rare occasion, a strip of beef from Rosy. She kissed him on his jaw. "Of course, Balto! I don't think my humans will have any problem with you being there. Especially after what you did."

Balto smiled and in turn kissed her jaw as well, before replying, "You have no idea how happy I am that I met you, Jenna. I would love to spend the night with you and Rosy."

Jenna could barely contain her excitement. "I'm happy I met you as well. Shall we get going?"

Balto nodded, and the two then began to walk back into town towards the hospital.

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**A/N: This was originally supposed to be a one shot, but I decided the turn it into a nice little story. Chapter 2 to follow soon. Enjoy!**


	2. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER: I own this story. All characters and certain elements in this story are the property of their respective owners.**

* * *

Chapter 2

The moon was high in the sky, signifying that a new day had begun. Its radiance bathed the town of Nome in an ethereal glow.

Balto and Jenna were walking in near perfect sync with each other towards the hospital. Balto couldn't help but look over at her as they walked. The moonlight made Jenna look like an angel from the heavens. Balto was convinced that this was a dream. It had to be. There was no way that he, a half-breed who has been on the streets almost his entire life, would be with a purebred husky. It was just not possible to him. He feared that any minute now, he would awake from this dream, and be back to his regular old self. Living on his trawler and struggling to survive. "_But this is NOT a dream_," his heart would say. "_This. Is. Real._"

Jenna was thinking about Balto, too. Since she first met him, he displayed more selflessness and humility that any other animal she had ever met. He was like her guardian angel, always there to defend her and willing to do whatever necessary to keep her safe and happy. Steele NEVER made her feel that way. All he ever cared about was himself and his public image. He hated Balto more than anything and wanted him dead for crying out loud. "_Why am I comparing Steele to Balto?_" She shivered at the thought. Balto saw it.

"Are you cold?"

Jenna snapped out of her thoughts to see a concerned look on Balto's face. She looked down, avoiding his eyes. "A little bit. I'm not used to the cold like you are." She shivered again, but this time it was due to a light breeze that came up.

Balto swung his bushy tail up and over Jenna's back in an attempt to shield her from the wind. She was grateful for it, and she intertwined her tail with his. The loving gesture instantly made them both feel warm. As they walked, Balto remembered the first time he was in this part of town several years prior. It was his first trip into the strange place to explore for food. Unfortunately, it didn't end well for him, as he met Steele for the first time. Every day after that was a challenge for him. Steele loved to bully Balto, and Balto learned fairly quickly that he needed to adapt if he were to make it anywhere. So he learned how to navigate the rooftops across the town. It made it possible to be there during the day rather than having to stick to the shadows in the alleys by night. He also took note of Steele's routine, which was stupidly simple. When he wasn't out on a race, he was either in the boiler room or out stalking the female dogs. Balto stopped abruptly in reminiscence to that day. When Jenna felt the wind envelope her, she realized that her companion had stopped and was distracted by something. She walked over to him.

"Balto? Is... is everything alright?" She nudged him, causing him to snap out of it. He looked up to see her concerned eyes shining in the moonlight. Her gaze cut right through his soul, and his head and ears drooped.

"I'm fine. I was just thinking of the last time I was in this part of town. I was just a pup back then. I met Steele and his crew, and it didn't go so well for me. It was my lucky day." Balto tried to make the last part sound sarcastic, but it ended up sounding somewhat depressing.

Jenna sat in front of him and pushed herself into Balto's chest, wishing she could ease the pain of the memory. "Would you be willing to share the story with me?" she asked. Balto wanted to tell her, but it wasn't the right time. "I'll tell you eventually, Jenna. I promise." The last two words was all she needed to hear. She trusted that in due time, he would tell her when he was ready. Nothing more was spoken about the topic. She nuzzled him and gave him a quick kiss on his muzzle, before wrapping her tail around his, silently conveying to him that they should get moving again. Balto leisurely stood up, and they resumed their late night walk down the street.

A few minutes later, the two arrived in front of the hospital. The wind had picked up more by now, and Balto raised his nose and began to sniff. Over the last couple years, he had learned to tell the weather based on smell. Boris accredited it to his wolf nature. Muk and Luk, being young and naive, thought it was a 'divine gift.' It was an odd talent that he rarely spoke of. And because of it, he knew that another winter storm was brewing.

"Another storm coming in. At least this time no one has to leave town in it," he said. Jenna looked over at him. "How do you know?" she asked. Balto grinned. "You learn a thing or two when you live on the streets... Not exactly an amazing feat, but it's saved me a lot of trouble in the past."

Jenna was confused. "How can that not be amazing, Balto? I wish I could predict the weather!" She looked out towards the night sky, lost in imagination.

Balto took that moment to gaze at Jenna. "You are... so... beautiful..." he whispered. Walking up beside her, he brought her back to the present with a loving nuzzle along her neck. She reciprocated the action, and shivered yet again. However, this time it was not due to the cold or her thoughts. It was from the intimate contact with Balto. The two stood there, alternating between nuzzling each other and the occasional kiss on the muzzle.

Eventually, Jenna reluctantly stopped to bark a few times and scratch at the door to be let in. Seconds later, the door opened to reveal Rosy's father, rubbing his eyes.

"Hey girl! What have you been up to? Do you want in?" He bent over and pet Jenna on the head. She closed her eyes and wagged her tail, clearly enjoying it. Balto sat patiently next to her, his tail slightly wagging. He could only hope that he would not be shooed off for being there. His last interaction with this man was when he invited him in to see Rosy. It wasn't a bad one, but he knew humans could change in an instant. To his surprise, the man's hand found its way to his head, too. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath and exhaled. It felt... _nice_. "And how are you, Balto? Keeping Jenna company, I see... It would not be right to make you stay outside in the cold while Jenna gets to sleep by the nice warm fire. Get on in here, both of you!"

Without hesitation, the two rushed in. Jenna took the first right into the room where Rosy was, while Balto cautiously looked around at the main waiting area, trying to analyze everything in case he needed to make a quick getaway. There were several rooms he could run into if he needed, but his only easy way out was the door he just entered from. Rosy's father stepped up next to him, and ran his hand down Balto's head and along his back.

"You have nothing to fear now. You're safe here, boy. Go on in that room with Rosy and get some rest." Balto looked up at the man, and saw truth in his eyes. He nuzzled the man's hand and then made his way into the room where Jenna entered moments ago. Rosy's father watched as Balto headed in. Before this whole diphtheria scare, he would never have let Balto anywhere near Rosy. He was fed false information about him like many of the other people in town, and so they hated him. But Balto was the reason Rosy was still alive. He risked his life to save her, and if Balto had her best interests at heart, why should he continue to treat him poorly? The man sighed. He wished he had known about this a long time ago when Rosy first told him about Balto. The past was the past now. He could only make sure that from now on, he treated Balto the way he should have always been treated.

* * *

A small wood stove burned in the corner, causing shadows to dance around the room. Balto made his way over to Jenna, who was dragging a blanket off the top of a table next to Rosy's bed. She proceeded to take it over to a rug under the window, before calling him over.

"Sorry it's not a dog bed, but it beats sleeping on the wood floor." She smiled lovingly at him. Balto couldn't help but smile back. He nuzzled her softly once he got to her. "With you around, I wouldn't care if I was sleeping on a tundra plateau in the dead of night in a raging winter storm." Jenna took a shaky breath, pushing her head up against Balto and trying to hold back tears of joy in response to this. He rubbed his chin on the top of her head.

"Sorry to kill the moment, but you must be tired," said Jenna. Balto pulled back and replied to her. "You don't have to apologize, Jenna. My adrenaline has been running in overdrive ever since I left Nome to go find the serum. It still hasn't gone away just yet. I am not very tired. Just extremely exhausted." Jenna put her paw out in front of her, and tapped it a few times. "Well, lie down and at least try get some rest. You deserve it."

Balto curled up on the rug. Just as she did at the lake after he almost drowned, Jenna snuggled up to him and pulled the blanket over the two of them. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. And then a realization hit him like a brick.

This was the first time in his _entire _life that he was not sleeping outside. When he was a pup, he stayed in a small abandoned wolf's den with his mother and father. And on some occasions, they would sleep on an outcrop from a mountain, or even in small caves along the mountainside. And then after he lost them, an old washed up fishing trawler outside of Nome after Boris had found him on a cold winter night. And now here he was, in a nice warm place with none other than the dog he loved more than anything. And just a few feet away was the human he loved most in the world. He couldn't ask for anything better. He could have never imagined being in this position. But, here he was.

She snuggled further into him and gave him a tender kiss on the side of his muzzle. Jenna had been secretly looking forward to this moment for a long time. She had always wanted the best for Balto because he deserved nothing less.

Just as Jenna started drifting into sleep, Balto spoke up.

"So... this is what it feels like." Jenna was perplexed by this. "What does what feel like?"

"This. Being here. With you and Rosy. This very moment in my existence. It feels like home."

_**~The End~**_

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**A/N: I have a sequel planned for this story. I don't know when it will be released due to my schedule, but I'll try and make it worth the wait. Hope you enjoyed this one!**


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